bleachfanfictionfandomcom-20200223-history
Rescuer with the Silver Hair
In honor of Sei's 20th birthday, a special chapter dedicated to his character, Seireitou Kawahiru! To Be a Comrade Vladik was not pleased by the new arrival. His brow furrowed as he beheld Seireitou, who proceeded to grab the hilt of his sword and tear it from the earth it had been thrown into. Seireitou's own eyes were on fire, fierce with the determination to protect his now unconscious friend, who lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood behind him. "That hair..." Vladik began. "You must be the Shiroyasha... Kawahiru Seireitou. Lord Akujin's data mentioned you." Seireitou ignored this, turning his back on the Quincy and walking towards Raian. Scooping him up in his free left hand, Seireitou flashed away to the treeline. With a swipe of his hand, he used Kidō to create spiritual bandages, which wrapped themselves around Raian's wounds to stop the bleeding. With his friend out of any immediate danger, Seireitou turned back to Vladik and flashed back to the battlefield. "Ah, so Shinigami do have feelings." Vladik mused, "I had figured you all as heartless monsters. What can that man possible mean to you?" Seireitou remained silent, his eyes narrowing in response to the Quincy's question. His eyes slowly slid back to his resting comrade. In that instant, the memories came flooding back. Of their first meeting... and of others. ---- 250 years ago... A young Raian, being no older than ten or eleven years of age, stood on the streets of the Rukongai along with a crowd of spectators. Walking through the streets, center of the crowd, were four personages; Shōyō Shakyamuni, Shiori Miyamoto, a young Seireitou Kawahiru, and . Shōyō was a well known Shinigami in this district of the Rukongai. Shiori and Seireitou had recently become his students, something that most of the children around this area had come to look up to them for, including Raian. Ginrei, on the other hand, was from the noble Kuchiki clan. Shōyō was displaying his usual friendly smile as he made his way through the crowd of spectators. Much like him, Shiori smiled and giggled as she followed his lead. Seireitou, on the other hand, looked distanced. His look betrayed a heart of pain and loneliness, only broken when he looked at Shiori or Shōyō, during which time, he displayed a face of silent reverence. Raian, being the every cheerful child that he was, broke loose of the crowd and barreled through the streets towards the group, earning the attention of Shōyō, who stopped in his tracks and turned to wait for the young boy. Raian was heavily winded when he finally caught up, leaning over and placing his hands on his knees, panting while catching his breath. Shōyō smiled and walked past his students to kneel in front of the boy, placing his palm on the boys head and ruffling his hair. "And who might you be?" Shōyō inquired thoughtfully. "Raian!" the boy exclaimed through his exhaustion, "Raian Getsueikirite!" Shōyō's face lit up once again, "And why have you chased me down, Raian Getsueikirite?" he asked a second question. Raian shot a look at Seireitou, who had folded his arms across his chest and made his face into a scowl, "I want to learn to be a Shinigami, just like them!" Raian shouted back, regardless. "Hmph... how can someone like you become a Shinigami?" Seirietou shot venomously. Shōyō looked back at his student, who was about the same age as Raian himself, "Now Seireitou, keep in mind that you were once like this boy. Do not discourage him because of his status." he admonished. "Tch..." Seireitou responded, closing his eyes and jerking his head the other direction. Just then, Ginrei walked up behind the kneeling Shōyō. Furrowing his ancient brow, the old Shinigami also took to his knee and observed Raian. He studied the boy for what seemed like several minutes before he finally spoke. "Yes... this boy has a lot of pent up reiatsu." Ginrei observed, turning to face Shōyō. "Where are your parents, son?" At this, Raian's demeanor changed completely, his face getting pale. He looked down in sadness, and immediately Ginrei knew what he was going to say. As Raian began to open his mouth to answer the elderly man's question, Ginrei cut him off by holding a finger to the boy's tiny lips, silencing him. " , come." Ginrei almost barked. From the back of the group, a fifth Shinigami emerged in response to Ginrei's summons. "Yes, father?" Sōjun asked, taking little notice of Raian. "This boy has incredible reiatsu. It is no doubt that he'll be a superb Shinigami some day, but he has no parents to care for him." Ginrei began to explain. Sōjun allowed a friendly smile to flash at Raian, "Say no more." he replied, "From this day forward you will live in my household in the Seireitei. I have a son about your age. Perhaps you two will become good friends." Raian beamed at this proposition. As the adults chatted about the arrangements, Raian darted over to Seireitou, who had propped himself up against the exterior of a nearby building, closing his eyes, though he was not asleep. He opened one eye as Raian approached. "Did you hear that? I'm gonna be a Shinigami too!" he excitedly told Seireitou, and then shot out his hand to shake Seireitou's. "We should be friends, since we'll both be Shinigami!" Seireitou's expression didn't change. He glanced at Raian first, then to the hand the other boy had offered him, and then back to Raian. "Don't get full of yourself." Seireitou snapped, ignoring Raian's hand and walking away to join Shōyō and Shiori. Raian gave a defeated look, but had no time to think it over, as Sōjun had called his name, telling him to join them on their return to the Seireitei... ---- 50 years later... A much older Raian emerged from the main hall of the , dressed in garbs befitting of a student there. He was now a seasoned and learned Shinigami with exceptional marks in all of his classes, particularly Kidō. It made him grin whenever he thought about how the last fifty years had changed him. A large door opened on the other side of the breezeway, and an older Seireitou Kawahiru, trailed by Shiori, stepped out, walking in his direction, but making no note of his being there. Raian's eyes narrowed softly. In the years since they had both arrived in the Seireitei for Shinigami training, Seireitou had become a prodigy in the Shinigami arts. Raian, stubborn as ever to convince Seireitou to be his friend, had started up a rivalry between the two, though it was mostly one-sided. "Move it, dweeb." Seireitou jested, glaring at Raian as the two crossed paths. A comical vein rose in Raian's forehead, "Oi! Ya white-haired bastard! Who are you calling a dweeb?!" he retorted. Seireitou sighed, "You really are unsightly. Causing a scene here in this place of learning." he mused. "Listen, tough guy! If you think, even for a second that I'll let you-" Raian began. "Enough!" came a stern, deepened voice. It was the voice of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Head-Captain of the Gotei 13 and an Instructor at the Academy, who had overheard their argument and come to investigate things personally. The old man, despite his age, was an imposing figure to anyone in the Academy. Nevertheless, Raian and Seireitou's expressions remained unchanged. "Awww, Yama-jii! He started it." Raian protested, sticking out his lower lip in a pout. "I started it?!" Seireitou roared in indignation, "Started what?!" "Silence!" Yamamoto bellowed, silencing both boys. "You two have been at each other since the moment you arrived in this place. Therefore, I have a special assignment for you both." This earned him an inquisitive look from both boys. Students at the academy rarely went on assignments without their instructors. Only the ones who had manifested their Zanpakutō, which both Seireitou and Raian had, were allowed leeway on that issue. "A group of spirits in the Rukongai have gone missing and the villagers suspect Hollow involvement." Yamamoto continued, "You both are to go to that village and quell their fears, killing any Hollows that might be there." "Both of us?" Seireitou inquired. "Yes, both of you." Yamamoto snapped, slamming his staff into the ground. "It'll be a good chance for the both of you to learn the meaning of teamwork, rather than tearing at each others throats all of the time." "Man, Yama-jii..." Raian pouted again, "You sure are harsh." "Prepare yourselves." Yamamoto interjected, ignoring Raian's statement. "You leave tonight." That Fated Night The full moon dominated the night skies of Soul Society, shining brightly down on the Rukongai. Clouds sparsely dotted the sky, being barely visible outside of what the moon illuminated. Seireitou and Raian, in the village below, were pacing back and forth in front of their post, stopping occasionally to scowl at one another. Neither one was happy about having to complete this mission with the other, so, for the most part, both remained silent. After hours of this process, Raian finally let out a loud yawn that echoed through the alleyways of the village. "Will you shut up, you idiot!" Seireitou snapped in a half whisper, "If there really are Hollows here, they'll find us!" Raian rubbed his eyes tiredly, "So what? The faster we kill them the faster we can go to bed." Seireitou was taken aback by Raian's bluntness, "And what makes you think that we can just kill the things?!" he inquired impatiently. "We're Shinigami. Its what we do." Raian replied; another blunt response. Seireitou couldn't help but to chuckle at such a simplistic answer, but shrugged his shoulders, giving up on the argument. Another hour past and the cold air was beginning to get to Seireitou, who had become quite accustomed to the warm Academy dormitories. He turned the corner, just around the alley's entrance, so that he could find Raian once again, but became suspicious when Raian was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes of searching, he found Raian collapsed on the ground, a snot bubble emerging from his nose as he slept peacefully. Comically, a vein bulged in Seireitou's head, causing him too ball his fist up and slam it down into Raian's own head. The reaction was instantaneous. Raian shot up from his cozy slumber and let out a yelp that pierced the night sky. Immediately, Seireitou put Raian into a full body hold and clasped his hands over Raian's mouth to mask the sound. Still in shock, Raian bit down on his assailant's hands; this time, causing Seireitou to cry out in pain. Both young men leaped back from one another, facing each other with the worst scowls imaginable on their faces. However, before either of them could assault the other more, the bone chilling sound of a Hollow's cry ripped out through the night sky, causing both boys to freeze in their tracks. "What...the hell...was that?" Raian stuttered, slowly looking behind him. "What do you think it was, you idiot?!" Seireitou snapped in his hushed voice once again. Suddenly, from the brush, two immense Hollows came barreling out, mouths wide open and salivating as they charged for their venerable Shinigami prey. Letting out shrieks of terror and surprise, both boys charged at their full speed into the village, desperate to get away from the predators. A comical look of fear spreading across his face, Seireitou leaped for the nearest house drain pipe, attempting to climb it as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Raian himself was furiously trying to find an alley he could duck in to to hide. As both attempted to flee, the Hollows noticed Seireitou, who was in plain sight as he tried to climb up the drain from the outside. Seizing the opportunity, both predators began attempting to climb the drain after their young prey. Looking below him to see what was going on, Seireitou noticed the two Hollows and let out a comical shrill that caught Raian's attention from afar. "YEEEEEEK!" Seireitou bellowed, "They're going to eat me! Go after him! He probably tastes better anyways!" Hearing this, Raian immediately offered rebuttal, "Oi, oi, oi! Don't sell me out! There's no way I taste better than you! Besides, you have silver hair!" he roared. "What does my hair color have to do with anything?!" Seireitou yelled comically back, still trying to scramble up the drain. Realizing he was getting nowhere, Seireitou decided to take a chance. Leaping backwards, off of the drain pipe, he tunneled downwards, landing directly on one of the Hollows mask, and propelling himself off. Slamming into the ground, he was immediately running. Without knowing why, he reached out, grabbing Raian by his arm as he ran past him, dragging him along with him as the both of them ran towards where their Zanpakutō were laying. They didn't seem to notice the Hollows were gaining on them. Seeing the hilt of his weapon sticking out from behind the tree stump, where he had left it, Seireitou reached out to grab the blade, only to find himself on the bad end of one of the Hollow's paws, which swiftly slammed into his small body, throwing him mercilessly, like a rag doll, into a nearby wall. Noticing this, Raian cried out for Seireitou, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the two Hollows roaring their horrifying bellows into the cold, lifeless night. Putting as much energy as he could muster into his small legs, Raian propelled himself forward, diving into the dust and wrapping his fingers around his own weapon. Regardless, he had moved too slow. He could hear the hunger of the Hollows as they drew closer to their meal. "Hey!" roared a voice from the distance. "Come pick on someone who can actually fight you, you little shits!" Raian's tear-filled eyes shot open to see Seireitou standing up from where he'd fallen, waving his hands wildly in the air to get the attention of the predators. Not waiting for anymore encouragement, the two beasts took flight, and Raian knew that Seireitou would be mercilessly torn apart before being eaten by the monsters. Suddenly, a feeling of pure shame washed over Raian as he watched the kid, that had for so long rejected him, put his life on the line to save him. Blue light began to glow furiously from Raian's eyes and his legs was filled with tremendous energy as he too flight. Seireitou closed his eyes as the maws of the Hollows closed in on him, breathing heated breath smelling like death itself. The sound of cutting flesh filled his ears and a warm liquid splattered over his face. His eyes shot open to find out what had happened. To his great surprise, the blood of Raian was coating his face and hair. Raian had leaped between the Hollow and Seireitou, taking the brunt of the bite while, at the same time, impaling the Hollow through its mask. With a single upward cut, he split the Hollow's head in two, killing it instantly. As the Hollow disintegrated, Seireitou could only stare in shock and horror as the second Hollow began to descend on Raian. "Why...?" Seirietou finally managed, though it came out scratchy, as his throat was dry. Raian didn't bother looking back as rivers of blood flowed down his Shinigami garb from the fresh wound on his shoulder. With a sideways swipe, Raian bisected the large Hollow, finishing it off as well. "Why are you doing this for me?!" Seireitou bellowed, standing to his feet. "I didn't ask you save me!" Raian looked back for the first time, the sight causing Seireitou to catch his breath. Blood was covering most of Raian's face, no doubt from the wound that had violently spewed blood earlier when the Hollow had bit his shoulder. Tears streamed down Raian's bloodstained face, indicating the boy had held by the urge to yell out in pain from his injuries. His facial expression wasn't one of anger or fear, but completely blank. "Since when do you have to ask one friend to protect another?" Raian replied. He then succumb to his wounds, blood erupting from his shoulder a final time before his eyes rolled back up into his head and he black out; collapsing to the ground. Seireitou didn't move for several minutes as the impact of Raian's words sunk in. Tears also began to flow from his eyes. Other than Shōyō or Shiori, no one had displayed such kindness to him. Falling to his knees, he let his young body shutter with remorse and shame at the way he had treated Raian up to this point. "Never again..." he murmured to himself. The Stooges of Soul Society 100 years later... Seireitou, now fully grown as far as Shinigami went, and the Captain of the Eighth Division, found himself in the barracks after a mission to the Human World left him wounded. Not because he had been injured in battle, of course, but because, while in his gigai, he had tried to flirt with several human women, earning him their scorn. Seireitou looked rather annoyed as the medic observed the data from his injuries, as well as his general physical health. "Well, it looks like you will heal from these...eh, wounds in no time." the medic began. "Excellent, can I go home now?" said a none-to-amused Seireitou. "Not quite. Kawahiru-san, the last time you were here, the medic told you that you might get diabetes." the medic continued, reading off a chart on his computer system. "Yet you continue to eat sweets, right?" "Yeah, let me explain that. I'd rather just eat the things I like and live a good short life." Seireitou replied bluntly, merely wanting to leave at this point. "Take a look at this." the medic stated, gesturing to his computer screen. "Just forget it." Seireitou cut him off. "I ain't gonna get jittery. I've seen it all already. I'm not scared at all anymore." The medic sighed as the charts began to change, "If you keep this up, your urine will mix with your sugar, causing a chemical reaction... blowing up your.. man berries." the medic said gravely. As he explained this, the diagram of the patient's lower areas exploded. Seireitou's face contorted into pure horror. "Son of a...!" he blurted out. Moments later, a less than pleased Seireitou came walking out of the barracks. He was none too amused with the recent turn of events. He hated doctors as it was, but that session had just been unnecessary in his eyes. Nevertheless, he made his way through the bustling Seireitei street. As he walked, he accidentally bumped into a small child. "Oops, sorry!" the boy offered. Seireitou continued walking but flashed the boy a peace sign. As the boy continued walking, he grinned to himself before launching into the nearest alleyway. When he was convinced he was safe, the boy pulled a wallet out of his robe, which he had just taken off of Seireitou. Opening it up, the boy thumbed through Seireitou's possessions. "Damn! This guy's poor!" the kid moaned to himself. "It's completely empty. I guess I'm not going too make much from a Shinigami nowadays. Even I have more money than him!" Sadly, he stuffed the wallet back within the confines of his robe and reached for his own wallet, only to notice it wasn't where he'd left it. "What?! Where is my wallet?!" he chirped frantically, as he searched his wardrobe. Just then, Seireitou passed by the alley once more, ignorant of the boy being mere steps away from him. "1...2...3.... I hit the jackpot this time! I'll buy a parfait first, and then maybe go for a sub-sandwich later." Seireitou said to himself, thumbing through a wallet that clearly wasn't his. The boy, forgetting what he had done, darted out into the street, "Hey! That's mine!" he shrieked, before suddenly realizing what he'd done Seireitou turned, a glitter in his eyes, and attacked, "You little thief!!!" he bellowed, smacking the boy across the head. Elsewhere, Raian and Shiori, who had also become captains in the hundred years since they had graduated the Academy, made their way through the Seireitei. Yamamoto was granting several of the captains vacation time, to enjoy some time away from the Seireitei, so the two of them were trying to find Seireitou so that they could invite him to accompany them along. They arrived at the Eighth Division headquarters, only to find out from Seireitou's lieutenant, Akujin, who was, at the time, still a member of the Gotei 13, that Seireitou was at his private residence. The two then journeyed to Seireitou's personal residence; a large estate on the edge of the Eighth Division's jurisdiction. While he was not in the house, they figured he might be out training in the woods surrounding his home. What they found amused them greatly. "Kamehameha!!!!" Seireitou bellowed, thrusting his hands forward in an imaginary pose. "That's not quite right... maybe a bit more of that... Ka... me... ha... me...!" Just as he finished the incantation a second time, he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. That something being Shiori and Raian, who were looking at him with blank faces that all but shouted "what the hell" at him. As the trio walked away from the scene, back to the house, Seireitou held a palm over his face. "We didn't see anything." Raian mused, trying to calm his friend's nerves. "Sorry, I thought I was all alone." Seirietou admitted in comic defeat, "I thought I could practice with all my might..." The Twilight of Our Days 90 years later, during the Akujin Crisis... Seireitou looked up in awe. Just moments before he had been at death's very doorway in the battle against Akujin. In front of him, holding Mashū Getsueikirite in the cradle of his right arm, was Raian, who had finally arrived at the battle in the Seireitei. The Hollowified Akujin looked most unamused at this recent development. He hadn't planned on Raian arriving so early. "Raian," Seireitou croaked through his hoarse voice, "I'm sorry... I let [Sanji..." "Do not blame yourself." Raian cut him off, "The only one to blame for these losses is Akujin himself. You still have the strength to stand, right? Then join me." Slowly, Seireitou made his way to this feet, using his sword as support while he made the effort. Fighting Akujin's Hollow-enhanced Bankai had taken its toll on him. All around the Seireitei, he could see the wounded bodies of the other members of the Gotei 13, as well as the Order of the Visoreds. Only he and Raian stood now in this massacre of Soul Society's defenders. Without warning, Raian tossed Mashū's unconscious body backwards, aiming for Seireitou. His reflexes were always sharp; even surprises like this, rarely caught him off guard. Seireitou caught Mashū and looked at Raian inquisitively. "Watch over him." Raian stated plainly. "I'm going to end this right now. I'll protect everyone... including you." With that, Raian launched himself into the air, flying as fast as his energy could muster, towards Akujin... Back to the Present A gust of wind carried clouds of dust and debris over the battlefield. Vladik was still waiting for his answer, but Seireitou's disposition told him that he probably wasn't going to get one. Turning back to face his target, Seireitou bore his sword straight ahead, killing intent glowing fiercely in his eyes. "Now it's my turn to protect you." he finally said, "Don't you dare die, Raian. If you do, I'll have to drag you down here from the netherworld and kill you again." With this, Seireitou leaped into action, charging directly for Vladik and Abram. In response, the Quincy bared his own Spirit Weapons and prepared to counter... Like a Blazing Fury... Seireitou joins the fray...! End....